The most important quality of any academy is the teaching staff. We have the best coaches/teachers in the region - PLEASE COMPARE our staff to any in the area. Our coaches have the experience of playing at a high level and years of coaching youth and high school baseball or softball. The VBC is managed by certified VA public school educators and experienced coaches. We have teaching professionals for each level of the game - coaches who understand levels of development and how to connect with players.

STEVE MROWKA, VBC Instructor/College Baseball Advisor

Steve Mrowka has been a lead VBC instructor since 2012. Steve coached at the collegiate level for 22 years (8 years at George Washington University and 14 years at Georgia College & State University), having a very successful career with 609 wins as college head coach in 19 seasons and 150 wins in NCAA sanctioned collegiate summer baseball leagues. Out of high school, Coach Mrowka attended Bates College in Lewiston, ME, where he was a letterman in football, ice hockey, and baseball. After freshman year, he transferred to Polk Community College in Winter Haven, FL, where he earned an associates degree and was an all-state shortstop. Following junior college, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina where he was a two-year starter in the Tar Heel's infield and earned a degree in physical education. In addition to playing in the prestigious Cape Cod and Alaska Baseball Leagues, he was a ninth-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox in 1985. Coach Mrowka was in spring training when an elbow injury ended his baseball career. After his playing career, he spent two years at the University of Georgia where he earned a M.Ed. in Sport Management.

DAN POTOTSKY, Instructor

Dan is a former switch hitting All-SEC infielder at the University of Kentucky where he helped the Wildcats to school records in winning percentage, fielding percentage, and double plays while making only 3 errors and leading the team in rbi’s. He played at and later was head coach at W-L high school in Arlington helping them to a region title and 3 district titles. He was also the head varsity baseball coach at Thomas Jefferson HS and has been coaching HS level baseball since 1988. Dan runs the popular Wood Bat Camps in the summer. He is also the GM of the Babe Ruth Senators.

PAT BAKER, Instructor

Pat Baker is currently a pitching coach at Centreville High School. Pat was a Pre-Season Collegiate Baseball High School All-American and First-Team All-District at Potomac High School (Woodbridge, VA). He attended Montgomery College where he was First-Team All-Region (led the team with 10 wins as a pitcher). He received a baseball scholarship to the University of Maryland and was a First-Team All Met College team as a pitcher, leading the team in wins as a junior with 8, (current record holder for most wins in a single season). Pat has over twenty years of coaching youth league, travel, and collegiate summer league teams, as well as extensive experience teaching private and small group instruction, and directing baseball camps.

MITCHELL AKER, Instructor

Mitch is currently a professional pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He was a 3 year varsity baseball player at Paul VI High School in Fairfax where he pitched and played outfield. While at PVI, the Panthers won the 2012 WCAC championship and the Virginia Private School state championship. In college, he went on to be a 4 year scholarship student-athlete at William and Mary. During his 4 years at William and Mary, Mitch worked as a relief pitcher and a weekend starting pitcher. While with the Tribe, his team went to 2 NCAA regional championship games and won the Colonial Athletic Association title in 2016. Mitch graduated from William and Mary with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences. After college, he went on to play for the Utica Unicorns in the United Shores Professional Baseball League (USPBL), an independent baseball league in the Detroit metro area in Utica, Michigan. In the summer of 2016 with the Unicorns, he posted a 2.42 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 24.0 innings as a closer while his team won the league championship. He signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in September of 2016. In the 2017 season, Mitch spent half of the season in the Diamondbacks short season single A affiliate Hillsboro Hops in Hillsboro, Oregon, where he was a starting pitcher. He spent 1 month with the low A affiliate Kane County Cougars in Geneva, Illinois, where he worked as a starter and a reliever. Mitch ended his season with the AA affiliate Jackson Generals. Mitch is looking forward to the 2018 season with the Diamondbacks.

CHRIS ALBERTO, Instructor

Chris Alberto entered his first season as the pitching coach at Marymount University in the fall of 2015. Prior to Marymount, he spent two years as an assistant coach at Western Connecticut State University where he coached the infielders, assisted with the hitters, and coached third base. He has spent the last two years working as an instructor in a sports academy in Connecticut . In 2014, he spent his time sped & agility classes, 16/18u team practices, and camps for kids 7-18 at All Star Batting Range in Brookfield, CT. In 2015, he was named a manager at the Sports Academy of CT & NY located in Danbury, CT. At the academy, Alberto focused on 1-on-1 pitching and hitting lessons while continuing his work as a team trainer and camp instructor. Alberto spent the summer of 2015 as the pitching coach of the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Alberto spent his college career playing at Western Connecticut State University. As a senior, he was named to the All-Conference 1st team, as well as the All-Region 2nd team. Alberto was a two-way player at Western Connecticut. He was the ace of the pitching staff as a senior where he threw six complete games in nine starts. He was a four-year starter as an infielder/designated hitter. Alberto set school records for career hits, runs, at bats, and games played.

JIMMY MOFFETT, Instructor

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Jimmy played for four years at C.D. Hylton High School where he played infield and pitched. At Montgomery College he started shortstop and was a relief pitcher. In the fall of 2012 he coached the McLean Hitmen 15U team. Jimmy joined the VBC staff in the Summer of 2012. He is currently the head coach of the 14u Cadets.

MIKE COWELL, Instructor

Mike Cowell is a former switch-hitting catcher and a graduate of Washington Lee HS where he played for both Coach Pototsky and Coach Murray. He went on to play his collegiate ball at Old Dominion University under Pat McMahon (N.Y. Yankees International head of scouting). After college Mike went to California where he played 3 years in the AA Western Baseball League under Jeff Burroughs (1974 AL MVP) and Buck Rogers (1987 NL Manager of the Year). During his pro career Mike became a utility player, starting at every position except for pitcher. He has instructed for over 20 years around the country, including University of Florida, Mississippi State, and Long Beach State as well as NOVA area.

RANDY LIGHTLE, Instructor & Asst. GM

Randy Lightle brings 50 years of baseball playing and coaching experience to the Virginia Baseball Club. He is the head varsity baseball coach at JEB Stuart High School. He has coached baseball from T-ball through high school levels. He also manages and plays on 3 senior men's baseball teams. Since his retirement from the Federal Government in 2002 he has committed himself to coaching and developing baseball players of all ages. Randy leads our Tiny Tots and Beginner T-ball programs in Merrifield and works as an insturctor in our youth and high school programs.

MIKE MURRAY, VBC Owner and General Manager

Coach Murray has directed the Virginia Baseball Club since 1992. He has been coaching varsity level baseball since 1988. Mike was the varsity hitting and infield coach at Yorktown High School from 2003-2014. Mike spent four years as the associate head varsity baseball coach at O'Connell High School (WCAC Champs and #3 ranking in Washington Post in 2001), after spending the previous seven years as the head varsity baseball coach at Wakefield High School. Among the teams Mike has managed include the Arlington American Legion Post 139, Alexandria American Legion Post 129 (co-founder). Mike taught Sociology and Psychology at Yorktown and Washington-Lee HS for 22 years. He was named in "Who's Who Among American Teachers" in 2006. Mike is the author of two baseball books, Complete Baseball Coach's Handbook and Youth Baseball Coach's Playbook. Mike has presented at dozens of coaching workshops nationally and internationally as a certified trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance and for Major League Baseball International - Latin America. In February 2006, Coach Murray was recognized by the International Sport Institute as one of nine coaches nationwide for his work in promoting a positive sports culture in his community. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.